Method and apparatus for forming spiral pipe



Sept. 1970 R. o. MARSH, JR 3,530,700

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SPIRAL PIPE Filed July 12, l968 2Sheets-Sheet 1 I -5 I l I 2 il W INVENTOR RICHARD o. MARSH,JR.

ATTORNEYS P 9, 1970 R. o. MARSH, JR 3,530,700

METHOD AND APPARATUSFOR FORMING SPIRAL PIPE Filed July 12, 1968 2Sheets- Sheet 2 INVENTOR RICHARD O. MARSH,JR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,530,700 METHOD AND APPARATUS FORFORMING SPIRAL PIPE Richard 0. Marsh, Jr., Sewickley, Pa., assignor t0Fay Pipe & Pile Inc. Filed July 12, 1968, Ser. No. 744,450 Int. Cl. B21c37/12 U.S. Cl. 72145 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE means mountedon each arm for translatory movement of the elements along the arm.Carrier means may be used to serve each end portion of a forming rolland their movement may be coordinated to move the entire roll at onetime.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The formation of commercially acceptablespiral pipe from flat metallic sheet material requires that the edges ofthe sheet to be joined be brought into abutting engagement or insufficiently close relationship to permit the continuous joining of theedges by resistance welding, forging, or other joining techniques. Toaccomplish continuously such a spiral formation requires that theforming elements be adjustable initially to set up the apparatus for thedesired diameter pipe to be formed and further adjustment is normallyrequired as formation progresses to compensate for variations in thedimensions of the sheet material, the relationship of the edges whenjoined and other variables known to the industry.

Known apparatus for spiral formation of sheet material has not beencapable of forming pipe within a wide range of diameters nor has theapparatus provided forming elements readily adjustable during theformation of the spiral. Nor has known apparatus for forming pipe withrelatively thick walls been capable of operation by operators with aminimum of training and experience. The present invention overcomesthese disadvantages by providing a compact, easy to operate formingapparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Broadly, the present invention comprises aframe, a fixed forming element and two movable forming elements whichare movable in all directions relative to the fixed forming elementthrough mounting and moving devices serving each movable element. Eachdevice includes an arm pivotably connected to the frame, a carrier unitmounted on the arm for translatory movement thereon and means on thecarrier unit for engaging the forming element element whereby eachmovable forming element may be independently moved in all directionsrelative to the fixed forming element.

It is a feature of the invention that a plurality of mounting and movingdevices may be used to independently control the end portions of eachmovable element to provide incremental and complete control of spiralformation.

It is also a feature of the invention that two or more carrier unitsserving one or both forming elements may be inter-connected to permitsimultaneous translation of the units on their respective arms.

3,530,700 Patented Sept. 29, 1970 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Inthe drawings, FIG. 1 is an end elevational view of apparatus of theinvention; FIG. 2 is a partial elevational view taken from the side ofthe apparatus where the sheet enters; and FIG. 3 is a sectional viewtaken along line 33 of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawings, frameunit 1 includes base plate 2, front vertical support 3 and back verticalsupport 4 both mounted on plate 2. Supports 3 and 4 are rigidly securedtogether by longitudinal frame piece 5. Support 3 has an opening 7 topermit the sheet 8 to move through frame unit 1 without interference.Back support 4 may have a similar opening if the spacing of the supportsand angle of feed of the sheet material requires. The arbor 9 is asolid, elongated, cylindrically-shaped element secured to extension 11of front support 3 and is suitably secured to back support 4. Arbor 9 issupported on vertical support shaped to permit the sheet material to bespiraled around the arbor.

Arbor 9 together with polished roll 12 mounted in longitudinal slot 13provides a stationary sheet forming surface for assisting in the formingof sheet 8 into a spiral 14. The edges of the formed spiral 14 arejoined by conventional joining means (not shown). Polished roll 12provides the smaller surface area of a member having a lesser diameterthan the arbor and it is mounted on suitable bearing surfaces in slot 13to permit it to rotate. The rotatable. polished roll substantiallyreduces the frictional forces resisting sheet movement over the arborbending surface.

First movable forming member 16 and second movable forming element 17each are similarly mounted for movement relative to the arbor 9. Members16 and 17 each have a longitudinal slot positioned to receive rotatablepolished rolls 18 and 19, respectively, to provide antifrictionalsurfaces with sheet 8. Polished rolls 18 and 19, which are also mountedon bearing surfaces in their slots, may be held in position by anysuitable means including metal straps passing around the members and therolls which straps are positioned in recesses in the rolls to preventinterference with the sheet material. Forming members 16 and 17 alsohave pairs of grooves 21 and 22, respectively, formed in their surfacesto reactive jaws 23 and 24 of carriers 26 and 27, respectively. Groove21 and 22 may extend all or a portion of the length of the formingmember, provided the grooves are of sufiicient length to permitadjustment of the member in directions parallel to the longitudinal axisof the arbor. Set screws 25 hold the members in position after they havebeen longitudinally adjusted.

Carriers 26 and 27 are positioned for translatory movement in the slidechambers 28 and 29 of pivotable arms 31 and 32, respectively (FIG. 3).Threaded rods 33 and 34 pass through longitudinal threaded holes 35 inthe carriers to permit the carriers to be moved along the slide chambers28, 29 when the rods are rotated. Rotation of a rod in one directionWill move the carrier in one direction and counter-rotation of the rodwill move the carrier in the opposite direction.

Arms 31, 32 are pivotable about axle 36 which passes through bearingholes in supports 3 and 4. Arms 31 and 32 are pivoted about axle 36 andheld in selected positions by arm adjusting units 37 and 38 mountedadjacent the support 3. A corresponding pair of units for adjusting andcontrolling the other end portions of the movable forming elements aremounted adjacent support 4. Units and other elements adjacent support 4(see FIG.

3 2) have corresponding numbers on the drawing followed by the suflix a.

Arm adjusting units 37, 38 each include rotatable cylinders 39 and 40,respectively, mounted in holes 42, 42a of supports 3 and 4. Threadedstems 43 and 44 pass through and mate with threads in cylinder passages45 and are secured to blocks 47 which in turn are secured to arms 31 and32, respectively. Stems 43 and 44 have end sections 46 adapted to engagea wrench for turning the stems to raise and lower the arms. Cylinders39, 40 turn in bearing holes 42 as the arms are pivoted to preventbinding of the stems in the cylinder passages.

Threaded carrier rods 33, 34 are turned to translate carriers 26, 27 byturning tie rods 48 which are connected to rods 33, 34 through gearunits 49. Tie rods have square end sections 51 to receive a crank 52.Instead of hand cranks power units may, of course, be used wheresuitable to drive and turn any of the rotatable elements of theapparatus.

In the practice of the present method of forming a spiral of sheetmaterial, the movable forming rolls are initially set by moving arms 31,31a, 32 and 32a by operating arm adjusting units 37, 37a, 38 and 38a andby turning tie rods 48 to position the carriers on the arms in properposition with respect to the angle of arm rotation to provide the properrelationship of the three forming rolls for commencing formation of aspiral of the selected diameter. Forming elements 16 and 17 are adjustedlongitudinally by loosening set screw 25 and sliding the members to theproper positions to accommodate for the angle of feed of the sheetmaterial. Set screws 25 are then tightened.

Sheet 8 is fed into the forming rolls by a suitable drive arrangement tostart formation of the spiral. As the spiral is formed, the pivotablearms and carriers are adjusted to provide a spiral of desiredconfiguration and having required edge positions to permit the joiningof the edges in accordance with the technique being employed. Thecarriers serving each roll or forming member have their movementcorrelated through their tie rods 48 to permit the entire roll to bemoved at one time. Arm adjusting units permit movement of one endportion of a roll without substantially moving the other end portion.These two roll-adjusting techniques permit movement of the movableforming rolls in all directions to achieve any position and angle of therolls.

The term pipe herein used is intended to broadly include tubes,conduits, corrugated pipe and any other generally cylindrical-shapedobject formed by first forming a spiral from sheet material.

I claim:

1. In the formation of spiral pipe, the method of continuously forming aspiral from sheet material comprising (a) mounting and holding anelongated forming element in a stationary position,

(b) mounting two movable elongated forming elements in positions onpivotable arms substantially parallel to the first element to permittheir movement relative to the first element while maintaining all theelements in substantially parallel orientation,

(c) providing translatory means on each pivotable arm engageable with aportion of each movable forming element for translation of the elementalong its supporting arm,

((1) commencing the formation of the spiral by driving the sheet overthe stationary forming element and against the two movable formingelements which have been initially positioned to produce a pipe ofselected diameter,

(e) adjusting the movable forming elements by moving the pivotable arms,and

(f) further adjusting the movable elements by translating the movableelements through operation of their translatory means.

2. Apparatus for forming a sheet material into a spiral having its edgespositioned for joining, comprising (a) a frame including twosubstantially vertical and spaced-apart members,

(b) a stationary elongated forming element fixed to the frame,

(c) two movable elongated forming elements positioned to provide withthe fixed element a spiral forming unit,

(d) moving means mounted on the frame members for moving the movableelements relative to the frame and the fixed element, the moving meansin turn comprising (i) at least one arm for supporting and moving eachelement, each of the arms being pivotably mounted on a frame member,

(ii) carrier means on each arm for translatory movement along the arm,and

(iii) gripping means on each carrier means for gripping a portion of themovable forming element to carry the element as the carrier means andpivotable arms are selectively moved.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the gripping means includes jawmeans slidable along the movable forming element to permit the movableelement to be adjusted in a direction parallel to the axis of thestation ary forming element.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 having in addition armmoving means securedto one of the arms and pivotably mounted on a frame member for causingpartial rotation of the arms relative to the member thus permittingmovement of an element toward and away from the fixed forming element.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 in which two spaced-apart pivotable arms areused to support each movable element.

6. An apparatus for forming a spiral having its edges positioned forjoining comprising (a) a frame,

(b) a fixed forming roll,

(0) two movable forming rolls mounted for movement relative to the frameand the fixed forming roll for moving each of the movable rolls,

(d) roll mounting means pivotably mounted on the frame for moving eachof the movable rolls each mounting means in turn comprising (i) apivotable member pivotably mounted on the frame,

.(ii) translatory carrier means positioned on the member for translatorymovement along the pivotable member,

(iii) engagement means on each carrier means for engaging the formingroll,

(iv) means for pivoting the pivotable arm, and

(v) means for translating the carrier means along the arm.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,752,873 7/1956 Freeze 228173,024,348 3/1962 Cavel 219-62 3,269,162 8/1966 Fay 72-145 RICHARD J.HERBST, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

Patent No.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Inventor(s) Richard O. Marsh, Jr.

Dated September 22, 1970 It is certified that error appears in theabove-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are herebycorrected as shown below:

Page 3, Column 2, line 47,

r'eceive jaws-- Page 4, Column 3, line 29,

. 3mm JAN 5- .1971

Amsting Officer mania mm Page 3, Column 1, line 61, "element element'should-read elemen t-;

"reactive jaws" should read "screw 25" should read '-screws 25-

